As any dermatologist will tell you, the sun is one of the main causes of skin cancer and also one of the biggest contributors to ageing skin. Consequently, as someone who spends a lot of time outdoors, it’s important that not only do I not get burnt, but that I also keep damaging UV rays at bay.
Recently, I bought the Elta MD UV Pure Broad-Spectrum SPF 47 which I’ve found to be one of the best sunscreens I’ve used. What do I mean by ‘best’? I personally have two measures when choosing sunscreens:

1) Is it a natural sunscreen?
2) And does it leave a white streak on my face ?

The Elta MD UV Pure Broad-Spectrum SPF 47 passes both these tests.

Firstly, it’s a natural sunscreen. As I’ve blogged about before, I prefer natural sunscreens over chemical sunscreens since they don’t contain chemical UV filters that could enter the skin and body. Chemicals that sound like names of foreign planets, e.g. Oxybenzone, Octinoxate and Avobenzone don’t belong in our bodies. You can read about natural sunscreens vs chemical sunscreens here.

Secondly, no one wants to walk around looking like a pale ghost, so any sunscreen should come out clear when applied. Usually, natural sunscreens leave a white cast since they contain zinc or titanium oxide (both white minerals), but surprisingly, the Elta MD UV Pure Broad-Spectrum SPF 47 passes this test and doesn’t leave a white streak.

Whilst the Elta MD UV Pure Broad-Spectrum SPF 47 is on the costly side at $22 for 4 oz (about 120ml), it does have a SPF of 47, meaning it blocks out more than 97% of UVB rays, so there’s no worry about getting burnt when you use it.